


A million dreams

by Newtmassangster



Series: From the moment you ran into the maze I knew i would follow you anywhere (Newtmas One-Shots) [2]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Pianist, Fluff, Inspired by Music, M/M, Musicians, Shyness, pianist newt, pianist thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:30:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newtmassangster/pseuds/Newtmassangster
Summary: Newt and Thomas take piano lessons with the same teacher and are both very awkward when it comes to their feelings towards one another.





	A million dreams

Newt had been playing the piano for ten years now, taking lessons at the Conservatoire with Abigail since he was eight years old. Although he wasn’t her best student, he was the oldest one, and her favourite. The weekly hour they spent together always included at least fifteen minutes of gossips, when they shared everything from their thoughts on music to their personal life. Newt was quite a shy person, but he knew he could trust Abigail on anything, they had known each other for ten years and he felt like she knew him almost as good as his parents did, and definitely better than himself.

Abigail was a 30-year-old woman, with dark, long, hair that fell on her shoulders with elegance. She was very talented, but was nothing like the classic, serious pianist type. She was an eccentric person, took samba dancing lessons, listened to Michael Jackson as well as Rachmaninov, wore long skirts and peace-and-love homemade necklaces, yet had graduated from a musicology and pianist degree at the best school in the country, and knew how to play seven instruments. Because she carried such an unlikely background, she believed in each and every one of her students. When Newt first entered her classroom, he didn’t even know who Mozart was. Now, ten years later, he was able to play Mozart, of course, but also Beethoven, Handel, Bach or any composer she asked him too.

Newt was currently sitting behind the piano, practising a piece for the Conservatoire’s Annual Concert in a month. Each teacher had to choose five of his best students to play at the town’s theatre. The piece Abigail had chosen was a perfect fit for the boy: it was one of Rachmaninov’s Preludes, an elaborate piece, fast but gentle and delicate, that was often left over and unnoticed by famous musicians, yet it could be so deep and meaningful if played right.

At the moment, Newt was struggling with the metronome, trying, and failing, to speed up on the keyboard while not messing up the rhythm at the same time.

“You have to straighten up your hand, love, if you want to get passed 100 beats.” She finally helped him, realizing he was not figuring it by himself. He looked up at her, then stopped everything and sighed in defeat.

“I’ve been trying for half an hour now, Abigail, I’ll never be able to do it!”

“Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes. “Stop being a drama queen and try harder, Newt. That might save us some time.”

“I just want to give a good performance this time, that’s all.” He admitted with a slightly panicked expression on his face. She didn’t seem to get how much he was afraid of failing.

“Stop worrying, Newt, I know you’ll do good. Thomas will be impressed, I promise.” She leaned on the piano as she winked at him.

The boy looked at her with wide eyes and red cheeks. “W-what do y-you… I… I d-don’t…”

“Oh, come on, buddy, I know you like Thomas! It’s so obvious that I still don’t understand why nothing happened between you two yet. Although they do say that love makes you blind…” she laughed at his embarrassment, but that only made Newt blush even more.

Thomas was another one of Abigail’s student, although piano was not his main instrument. He was the son of the double bass teacher, and at first, he had learnt how to play that instrument, but he soon moved to the saxophone, which was now his main. Three years ago, he had decided to start the piano, in order to be an “accomplished jazz man” as he had told his mom, joking. Because he was a very fast learner, and a known figure in the Conservatoire, most of the first years looked up to him, and everybody knew his name.

“Hey, love, it’s totally fine, I’m not judging. Why do you think I put his class right after yours? You two are adorable blushing and stuttering and eyeing each other every week…” Abigail tried to comfort Newt, coming to sit beside him.

Newt had always admired Thomas, of course, and had had a crush on him for years now. They were in the same music theory class, but Newt was so shy that they never really had an actual conversation, except for the stupid jokes Thomas whispered to him to make the lesson go faster. Thomas _was_ funny, but he was also talented, and kind, and really cute; he was the only one to actually stand up to their terrible music theory teacher when she would pick on Newt. Newt admired the boy so much, he often daydreamed that they could become a thing one day, but he was too afraid to ever admit anything to him, not even that he was into boys. He just dreamed, and hope a miracle would happen someday.

Abigail sighed at the sight of Newt’s face, all sad and desperate. Newt was so much more than what he saw himself as. The blond was so focused on what was around him, Thomas, and the others, he spent so much time daydreaming about what could happen that he didn’t see how important he was to everyone. He wouldn’t notice how the little kids also looked up to him, because he was the oldest student in here, and one of the best. First years kept telling her that they wanted to play “exactly like the blond lizard boy when they grew up”. He _was_ also an important figure of the Conservatoire, always a part of every concert; arriving an hour or so in advance to help fix everything. And, of course, he failed to notice that the brunet was obviously in love with Newt, just as he himself was obsessed with Thomas. They were both hopelessly lovesick and oblivious and had been for years.

 “So, will you help me with that bar line, or?” Newt tried to casually change the subject, his cheeks still pink. Abigail rolled her eyes but turned the metronome back on and went on with the lesson.

 

 

Thomas closed the front door of his house in a rushed movement and hurried down the street in the direction of the Theatre. He was late for the concert, as always, and if his mom noticed, she would murder him. He had promised her he would come and help fix the stage for once but got caught up in his show and didn’t notice the time until he was half an hour late already. He felt bad for letting her down once again, not to mention that he knew Newt was also helping with the stage and they could’ve done it together. He couldn’t help the little smile on his lips at the thought of spending time with the blond, even if it was carrying chairs and heavy instruments on a stage. Maybe, _maybe,_ this time they would’ve been able to hold an actual conversation, but it was too late now. Plus, he was really looking forward to hearing Newt play. He had already, technically, since their lessons were following each other, but they had never performed the same concerts before, and everyone showed a different side of themselves on stage. He admired Newt’s talent as a pianist, and he wanted to be able to _watch_ him play, also maybe talk to him about it, laugh with him backstage. Thomas really loved to make him laugh.

By the time he finally arrived at the Theatre, and entered by the stage door, he was sweating and out of breath. The first person to notice him was his mother, who immediately sent him a death glare. _So much for trying to be unnoticed_ , he thought bitterly. She sent him to watch over the kids who were waiting backstage and preparing their instruments. As much as Thomas hated it, he went upstairs without arguing.

As soon as he entered the room, he was met by a sight worse than his sister’s room when she invited her friends for a sleepover. Instrument’s cases were left open all over the room, mostly on the floor, with or without the instruments inside. Some kids were playing tag and running over the room, occasionally tripping over the instruments. A group of girls were braiding each other’s hair in a corner, gossiping loudly, another was standing by the open window throwing objects to people on the street, and one boy was crying in a corner because his violin chord was broken. Thomas cursed under his breath for being late, before taking a step into the mess that was the room and getting to work. After fifteen minutes, all girls were decently braided, the majority of the kids had been sent to the courtyard to play whatever game they wanted to that involved running, thus significantly reducing the noise, and the violin chord had been replaced. But Thomas himself was exhausted and sweating ten times more than he had been already. He was just about to allow himself a little rest when he heard someone walking in the direction of the room.

“This is far too quiet. What bloody happen-” Newt suddenly entered the room with a frown on his face, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Thomas leaning by the window. The latter straightened as soon as he saw the blond and offered him a shy smile.

“Oh, hey Tommy, I didn’t know you were there.” Newt said very quietly, not meeting his eyes.

“Yeah, Mom sent me to calm down the kids. That was _not_ easy.” Thomas chuckled, trying to break the awkward silence between them. His eyes brightened as he saw Newt smile at his comment.

“Yeah, I know, I used to have a sister.” Newt said as he fully entered the room and looked around. “I’ll help you clean up the rest of the room if you want.”

“Thanks.” Thomas smiled as he realized he did get to spend time with Newt before the concert. “And I’m sorry for your sister.”

Newt frowned again, that cute frown he seemed to carry everywhere, until he finally understood what Thomas had meant. “Oh, no! Nothing actually happened to her! My sister, I mean. She’s just… I meant I do still have a sister but what I meant was that she’s grown, now, so I don’t need to watch over anymore.” He tried to hide his embarrassment by bending over to the closest item to clean the place, blood rushing to his face.

Thomas giggled at his stuttering and looked at him with a fond smile. He stared as the blond kept on randomly moving objects in the room, not really caring about ordering it but trying hard to make his blush go away. He could go on studying him all day, and he almost forgot about the kids all around them, lost as he was in the sight of the boy in front of him.

Almost. Because after thirty seconds of him staring all adoringly at Newt, a little girl tugged at his leg and asked with a high-pitched voice, loud and clear: “Hey, mister Thomas, are you in love with mister Newt? Why are you looking at him and smiling like my Mommy and my Daddy look at each other after they say I love you?”

It was Thomas’ turn to blush furiously as he sent a furious glare to the little girl, while Newt turned to him with wide eyes. He opened his mouth in an attempt to justify himself but was cut short by another boy in the room.

“Pfff, that’s not possible, Julie! Two boys can’t be in love, it’s so weird!”

“Yes, it does!” Julie shrieked, clearly upset by the boy’s comment. “My sister says she likes a girl and I even saw them kiss once! And she told me that boys could do that too! So, you don’t talk if you don’t know what you are talking about because if you say mean things like that, then I will tell my sister, and she will ground you!” Thomas looked up at Newt, who was now smiling at the girl, amused by her outburst.

“Puah, your sister, she’s all wrong and bad,” Another boy intervened. “my father, he says it’s very, very bad if you’re a girl and you want to kiss a girl and also if you’re a boy and you want to kiss a boy, and on the lips. And I think Newt is a very cool boy and I want to be just like him when I grow up, so I don’t want him to be a homosexual person because that’s wrong. Also, my father, he is never wrong, so now I don’t like your sister.” Julie turned to him with a furious expression. She was all red and her eyes were almost spilling tears.

Thomas caught her in his arms just as she was about to jump on the boy, and he thought the incident would end there, as he sent the kids away. But Newt quickly turned to the boy and spoke in a very angry and slightly hurt voice.

“Well, I’m very sorry to break the news to you, _buddy_ , but your father might be wrong on that one. At least I know that _you_ are, because I _am_ definitely gay, which means that I do want to kiss boys on the lips even though I am a boy myself. And there is _nothing_ wrong with it, you hear me? I don’t care what bullshit your father wants to say but -“ He was cut off by Thomas’ calming hand on his shoulder. He turned to the brunet who was still holding Julie and looking at him with wide eyes. The sight calmed Newt right away, and he took a deep breath before turning back to the boy, who remained completely silent before Newt.

“It’s alright. You are allowed to be wrong sometimes. But I still want you to apologize to Julie there, for calling her sister a bad person.” The boy nodded and went to Julie to apologize. Newt turned to Thomas again, who was now staring at him with what looked like a proud smile. The blond smiled back, slightly blushing when he realized he had just come out to Thomas and half of the kids of the Conservatoire without even meaning to.

“So, Mister, are you a gay person like my sister and Newt, too? Is that why you are looking at him again?” Julie turned back to Thomas after she had ended her conversation with the other kid.

The question took Thomas by surprise again, and he wished for the second time that she would learn to give people privacy, or _at least_ start speaking quietly. He contemplated not answering, but when he looked up, everyone was staring at him expectantly, including Newt.

“Hum, huh… Yeah, I am. Well, not exactly, more like I like boys and girls both, but… Yeah, that’s the idea.” He avoided looking at the blond at all costs as he struggled explaining his sexuality to the nine-year-old. _Exactly how I had dreamed to come out to Newt_ , he thought.

She opened her mouth to ask another question -  and very probably embarrass him more when Abigail barged into the room.

“There you are!” she exclaimed looking at Newt and Thomas both. “I should’ve guessed you two would be all blushing somewhere together. Well, come on then, the concert starts in ten minutes, and I want everyone downstairs in five!”

 

Newt let his fingers move by themselves in the pattern he knew by heart now. His eyes went from the music sheet to the keynote, checking his movements, although he didn’t really need to read the sheet anymore. He knew it by heart, but it wasn’t elegant to keep his eyes fixed on his hands, and it helped his focus to read the notes as he played. He was so nervous, knowing that Thomas was in the building somewhere, listening to him play. But as soon as his fingers had started moving, he got lost in the music, as he was now. A large grin grew on his face as he played the last chord and he realized he hadn’t made one single mistake. He looked up to Abigail behind the curtains, who was applauding furiously, like everyone else in the Hall. He got up to bow to the public, then gathered his sheets and walked back behind the stage. As soon as he was out of the public sight, behind the curtains, someone ran into him, almost knocking him over, holding him in a tight embrace. His eyes widened when he realized it was Thomas.

“Newt! You were amazing!” the brunet exclaimed as he pulled back, his smile almost as big as Newt’s.

“Boys, keep quiet, will you?” Abigail whispered at them, winking at Newt at the same time. And he didn’t know if she meant it for his performance or for the unexpected hug he just received.

“Let’s get out” Thomas offered as he grabbed Newt’s hand to lead him away. He didn’t know why he felt so bold and touchy suddenly, if it was because of their forced coming-out from earlier, or the fact that they were both tired, but none of them complained.

“Thomas, you’re in in twenty minutes, so don’t get too far!” Abigail reminded them before turning her attention back to duet of clarinets playing on stage.

 

Newt followed Thomas to a flight of hidden stairs that lead to the upper circle of seats, next to the control room. They had the floor to themselves, as almost no one knew how to get there.

“I found that place years ago when my Mom used to bring me with her at her concerts and I would get so bored that I started exploring the building. Now I go there all the time because there is no one to bother me here and I have a very good view.” Thomas explained as he lead them to seat by the balustrade, still holding hands.

Newt simply nodded and turned his attention to the jazz quartet that was now playing. There was a pianist, a double bass, a saxophone and drums. They were all playing with true passion and it showed in the way the instruments interacted. They responded perfectly to one another, in perfect harmony, yet each one was able to portray its own emotion and added its own version to the story they were writing together. It truly was beautiful, and everyone in the theatre seemed to be caught on their music.

“They’re very good.” Thomas said, stating the obvious. They were sitting side by side, their shoulders touching. Newt had his elbows resting on the balustrade, and his face resting on his arms, looking as if he were sleeping when he had never been more aware of his surroundings, the wonderful music in his ears and before his eyes, Thomas’ shoulder on his, his presence by his side. Thomas was sitting cross-legged, his chest leaning forward and his arms balancing above the void. His eyes were fixed on Newt’s adorable position, but his ears didn’t miss a single note the quartet was playing.

The atmosphere had changed from cheerful to a more serious, nostalgic one. The musicians were playing _There Will Never Be Another You_ , and the saxophone was currently pouring all his feelings in a heart-breaking solo.

Newt finally turned to Thomas, looking at him in the eyes, his head still fixed on his arms. “They are. But I like it better when you are playing.” He was being serious, and Thomas smiled kindly at his answer.

“Thanks.”

They went back to the music. The piece was so known that both of them, even though Newt wasn’t into jazz, could sing the lyrics. It talked about impossible dreams of being with someone that might have left forever.

“Do you have dreams, Tommy?” the blond asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Some. I don’t know. Do you?”

“Yes.” Newt smiled at him. “But they’re always different. Sometimes I have my all life all planned, each second of it, and some other days I have no clue where to go. I can’t make up my mind.” He sighed, thinking about how life always seemed to ignore his wishes and had left so many of his dreams disregarded. He didn’t really know why he was sharing all of it tonight. He didn’t even know why he was feeling so nostalgic and serious all of a sudden. It could have been the music, or the intensity of Thomas’ brown eyes staring right into his. He might not know, but he felt comfortable sharing all of it with him, because the other was listening, and Newt felt like he could trust him. Both of them could somehow feel the thin connection that was linking them together on that night. It was fragile, but they just needed to make it grow stronger, like a seed that had the potential to grow into a beautiful flower if one put enough affection and dedication in the effort.

“So what is this dream about, tonight?” Thomas asked.

“Tonight, I want to be a good musician, a real pianist.”

“You already are.” The brunet cut him off. Newt just smiled.

“A _better_ one, then. A professional. I want to play good music all over the country, all over the world even, I’d be good, but it wouldn’t matter, because it would be all about the music.” He said all of it in a quiet voice, his gaze fixed on the painted ceiling. He didn’t really know where he was going with it, he was making everything up as he said it, letting the music guide his thoughts.

Thomas had leant closer, mirroring Newt’s position resting on the balustrade, his own face now inches from the blond’s one. It was now or never. They might never have another night like this one, just the two of them at the top of the theatre, on the top of the world, looking down on a stage where four men sang about lost love and missed opportunities. Thomas did not want Newt to be an opportunity he missed, he wanted him to be the love he could be proud of, the one that grew strong and beautiful.

“Am I in this dream, Newt?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah” the other whispered, locking their eyes together. “Tonight, I imagine you would be by my side, always. We would be playing together. Just the two of us, together.” The last sentence was so quiet, it was hard to hear it over the bass’ solo.

“And tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Ask me tomorrow.” They both smiled, not breaking eye contact, Thomas leaning just a little bit closer. They listened together to the music, again. It was about time moving too fast, but they felt like they could ever be able to leave the moment they were lost in.

“I really like you, Tommy.” Newt suddenly confessed, as if it was so evident that he didn’t even need to say it. And it was. It felt so clear, unmistakable, obvious as they were sitting here, on the highest row of the theatre, staring so intently at each other. And he knew how Thomas felt it too.

“I really like you too.” The brunet smiled even bigger, and finally closed the gap that was between their bodies.

 _There will be other lips that I may kiss, but they won’t thrill me like yours used to do. Yes, I may dream a million dreams, but how can they come true, if there will never ever be another you?_ The song went on, but lost in their own kiss, thrilled by the feeling of their own lips against the other, the boys didn’t need to be dreaming a _million_ dreams to know that this one was true.


End file.
